25.10.11

Photography projects these days are like going to the gym, it just doesn't get any easier. I have often mentioned before that I have always found the hardest part of any photographic project to be the ending, not the beginning. But that's not to say its not difficult coming up with new ideas, in fact sometimes it feels impossible.My old saying; "Someone's either done it, doing it, or about to do it.." Has never been more true (or so it seems) and I often catch myself thinking; 'bugger beat me to it!' every time I pick up a photography book in Foyles.I had an idea the other day which just popped into my head without warning and I immediately began to doodle in my notebook like a crazed scientist on the verge of an invention breakthrough. After twenty minutes there it was. My idea was to pick various points along the coast (sound familiar), but this time point my camera out to sea in the dead of night and leave the shutter open for long long time. Basically my idea was to make photographs of nothing. No content, no light, but a long enough exposure would, in theory, pick out small details unseen by the naked eye along with the odd star and perhaps a passing plane.So there you have it, all the beauty and interesting things in the world and I come up with this.I have to admit, the idea is intriguing although probably not original by any means...

22.10.11

Know Your Rights: Photographers

I often get asked by students about taking photographs in public places so thought I would put this on here. Its American, but still relevant. I have another somewhere pasted from the BJP but this one is pretty good.

Taking photographs of things that are plainly visible from public spaces is a constitutional right – and that includes federal buildings, transportation facilities, and police and other government officials carrying out their duties. Unfortunately, there is a widespread, continuing pattern of law enforcement officers ordering people to stop taking photographs from public places, and harassing, detaining and arresting those who fail to comply. Learn more >>

Your rights as a photographer:

When in public spaces where you are lawfully present you have the right to photograph anything that is in plain view. That includes pictures of federal buildings, transportation facilities, and police. Such photography is a form of public oversight over the government and is important in a free society.

When you are on private property, the property owner may set rules about the taking of photographs. If you disobey the property owner's rules, they can order you off their property (and have you arrested for trespassing if you do not comply).

Police officers may not generally confiscate or demand to view your photographs or video without a warrant. If you are arrested, the contents of your phone may be scrutinized by the police, although their constitutional power to do so remains unsettled. In addition, it is possible that courts may approve the seizure of a camera in some circumstances if police have a reasonable, good-faith belief that it contains evidence of a crime by someone other than the police themselves (it is unsettled whether they still need a warrant to view them).

Police may not delete your photographs or video under any circumstances.

Police officers may legitimately order citizens to cease activities that are truly interfering with legitimate law enforcement operations. Professional officers, however, realize that such operations are subject to public scrutiny, including by citizens photographing them.

Note that the right to photograph does not give you a right to break any other laws. For example, if you are trespassing to take photographs, you may still be charged with trespass.

If you are stopped or detained for taking photographs:

Make a Difference

Your support helps the ACLU defend free speech and a broad range of civil liberties.

If stopped for photography, the right question to ask is, "am I free to go?" If the officer says no, then you are being detained, something that under the law an officer cannot do without reasonable suspicion that you have or are about to commit a crime or are in the process of doing so. Until you ask to leave, your being stopped is considered voluntary under the law and is legal.

If you are detained, politely ask what crime you are suspected of committing, and remind the officer that taking photographs is your right under the First Amendment and does not constitute reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.

Special considerations when videotaping:

With regards to videotaping, there is an important legal distinction between a visual photographic record (fully protected) and the audio portion of a videotape, which some states have tried to regulate under state wiretapping laws.

Such laws are generally intended to accomplish the important privacy-protecting goal of prohibiting audio "bugging" of private conversations. However, in nearly all cases audio recording the police is legal.

In states that allow recording with the consent of just one party to the conversation, you can tape your own interactions with officers without violating wiretap statutes (since you are one of the parties).

In situations where you are an observer but not a part of the conversation, or in states where all parties to a conversation must consent to taping, the legality of taping will depend on whether the state's prohibition on taping applies only when there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. But that is the case in nearly all states, and no state court has held that police officers performing their job in public have a reasonable expectation. The state of Illinois makes the recording illegal regardless of whether there is an expectation of privacy, but the ACLU of Illinois is challenging that statute in court as a violation of the First Amendment.

The ACLU believes that laws that ban the taping of public officials' public statements without their consent violate the First Amendment. A summary of state wiretapping laws can be found here.

Photography at the airport

Photography has also served as an important check on government power in the airline security context.

The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) acknowledges that photography is permitted in and around airline security checkpoints as long as you're not interfering with the screening process. The agency does ask that its security monitors not be photographed, though it is not clear whether they have any legal basis for such a restriction when the monitors are plainly viewable by the traveling public.

The TSA also warns that local or airport regulations may impose restrictions that the TSA does not. It is difficult to determine if any localities or airport authorities actually have such rules. If you are told you cannot take photographs in an airport you should ask what the legal authority for that rule is.

The ACLU does not believe that restrictions on photography in the public areas of publicly operated airports are constitutional.

19.10.11

You would think that in this day and age you could pick up medium format and large format cameras for a few pence considering the planets dwindling supplies of film and rising costs. But no, in fact some of these camera go for more second hand than they did when they were new. Who is buying them? And is anyone using them?I remember the time when one would buy an analogue Hassleblad for £1500 and it would last your entire career. Nowadays you buy a Digital camera for four times more and need to up date it six months later. Then there's the cost of a computer and all the other gubbings you never needed before.When will it end?Remember my friends, an image should be what you see, not what the camera sees..

Related Stories

A T-shaped design has scooped a £5,000 prize in a competition to find the next generation of electricity pylons.

Danish engineering firm Bystrup beat 250 rivals to win the Royal Institute of British Architects contest.

It set the challenge to replace the familiar "triangle" design - in use since the 1920s - in May, although there is no commitment to build them.

An increasing number of pylons are expected to be needed to connect new wind, nuclear and hydroelectric plants.

Bystrup's architect Rasmus Jessing said he aimed for a more positive shape than the traditional "grumpy old men" design, as they are known in Denmark, to carry new forms of renewable energy.

"Hopefully in the next couple of years it will be time for T - the T-pylon," he said.

Six entries shortlisted in the competition, organised with the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the National Grid, have been on show in London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The five runners-up received £1,000 each.

12.10.11

I came across this on-line magazine completely by accident and thought it was all done by the same photographer.I do have a soft spot for this kind of photography and in fact it was this ND filter/ long exposure technique (see link) that I applied to my By Coastal series, only I used colour.

The annual Frieze Art Fair opens this week in Regent’s Park, including art galleries from around the world exhibiting fine art and photographs by Paul Graham, Robert Mapplethorpe, William Eggleston and Wolfgang Tillmans.

The fair kicks off on Thursday at 1.30pm with a talk chaired by Christy Lange, the associate editor of Frieze, bringing together photographer Taryn Simon and photographic duo Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin (who are shortly publishing War Primer 2, a 21st century response to Bertolt Brecht’s classic book). The talk is titled Shooting Gallery: The Problems of Photographic Representation, and aims to investigate the relationship between photojournalism and art photography.

Frieze Art Fair isn’t open to galleries that only sell photography (as detailed in BJP) in October 2010, but it does include a number of galleries which sell photographic prints alongside other art works, including: Sadie Coles HQ, which represents Hellen van Meene; Yvon Lambert (Candida Hofer and Idris Khan); Anthony Reynolds Gallery (Richard Billingham and Paul Graham) and David Zwirner (Philip-Lorca diCorcia and Thomas Ruff). The fair runs 13-16 October and entry for one day costs £29 (including booking fee). More information can be found at www.friezeartfair.com.

The Little Black Gallery will also be curating and exhibiting a series of photographs (stand 22) by some of the greatest names in contemporary photography including Bob Carlos Clarke, Terry O'Neill and Sebastiao Salgado for sale in aid of Survival International . For full list of photographs for sale click here.

5.10.11

Today we introduce beauty and portraiture photography from Sarah Dunn:

“The motivation behind my photography is and will always be the ability to improve on my past works. The more you shoot, the more experience you gain and the more opportunity you will have to build your skills. This is what moves me forward, always wanting to better my work.

“It is both a blessing and a curse!

The image above is “shot for a Potter portfolio celebration in New York on my Canon 5D. The shot is completely comped, the location is in London, who says the camera never lies…

Hardy

“An older image, but one I still love. The cheekiness of his face always makes me smile. Shot on my Hasselblad on Kodak Tri-X film in London if I remember rightly.

Silence of the Lambs

“Shot for an Icons portfolio chosen by Steven Spielberg, location LA shot on a Canon 1DS.

Hayley Atwell

“My favourite beauty shot right now, a complete fluke as we snapped it quickly at the end of the day. Shot in London with my Canon 5D for Captain America. I love the spontaneity of it, the wind, the light, her expression, everything …

Dominic Monaghan

“Shot only last week in LA on my Canon 5D. We were shooting a moving photograph and I saw this still and snapped it, love the atmosphere and the shadow .

“In the future I intend to make the transition in to film making, basing all of it on the theories of my photography, moving photographs if you will…”

To see more of Sarah Dunn’s fantastic work here is her website sarahdunn.com.